Mind Boggling
by Avenger 22
Summary: Set during Season Two, right after the Private War of Dr. Doom. Reed Richards has done everything he can do (physically) to revive Princess Ravonna. So, desperate, he searches for a telepath who might be able to revive her. Fortunately, there is one but how far will Lucy go to rescue Princess Ravonna from her own mind? Not really new, just edited a few things.
1. Chapter 1

Mind Boggling

Chapter One, Introductions

"Readjusting to negative six point two," muttered Richards to himself as he wrote down something in his notes. Moving his head behind him enough so that he could see Princess Ravonna, he sighed quietly to himself.

It seemed that whatever he did, it just wouldn't be enough to sustain her. Shaking his head, a round of reprimanding rang through his head. No matter what happened, he had to save her. This woman, encased in the stasis tube, had to be saved. The survival of humanity depended on it and not because she was near death. Because she was the lover of the supposed Kang the Conqueror. The Avenger's most recent acquired enemy.

So far, all Reed and Hank had done was adjusting things in her tube. However, ever since Hank's disappearance Reed's efforts had seemed fruitless. As any minute she would, die and Reed wouldn't know what to do. What to tell the Avengers if anything like that happened. But being the brilliant scientist that he was, Reed had a haunch.

He hadn't been told much about what had happened to Ravonna and Hank hadn't told him much either. He had thought of every possible variable and had come up with multiple theories. Each one rejected until he had explored the last one. Hank would've thought him crazy for even considering but this was a matter of life and death and Reed was willing to try anything that would work. Even if it involved telepaths.

Just as soon as Reed was about to get back to writing, he heard a door to his lab open and in walked Sue. Her beautiful golden hair streaming down her head until it reached her shoulders. Her eyes alert as she walked around his lab with her usual cautiousness. That's what Reed liked about her. She, unlike the other boys, was careful where she stepped and if she stepped on something at least apologized and attempted to fix it.

When Reed looked from her to himself, he noticed that he had accidently coiled himself around the stasis tube. Feeling like a rubber band, he slowly snaked his way back around the tube. Following the path his torso had taken, he stopped until he felt that everything had realigned itself. Just as he did so, he noticed Sue standing in front of his work desk with two cups of coffee.

He smiled at her, taking one of them from her and sipping. Even though caffeine wasn't something he normally drank, he had taken it to more often lately. The doors opened again and in stepped the rest of the team.

"Hey Reed though you didn't drink," Came a deep bass voice from behind Johnny. The said blond stepped out of the way of the orange giant as Benn Grimm crossed his arms," you know, since you lecture us about drinking."

Both boys turned their attention on the mug in Reed's hands and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sue blushing deeply. Taking her mug in hand, she took a gentle sip from it. Looking down at his mug as if it were Fing Fang Foom he quickly set it down on his worktable and pushed it aside. He saw Johnny's and Benn's eyebrows go up.

Being the person that she was, Susan was the next to speak. Her voice soothing and comforting to listen to," Benn have you contacted Professor Xavier yet? I know Reed meant to do it but you know how he is when he's locked himself in his lab," she turned to look at him with a ring of brown around her lips. She smiled affectionately at Reed who gave a warm smile back to her. Then she turned to Johnny, who was fiddling with his nails," And how about you Johnny? Have you talked with Jean Grey, yet? Or were you too busy making out with her?"

At this, Benn cleared his throat and answered Susan's question. Another thing Reed loved about Sue. She always knew the right thing to say and exactly how to say it," Actually, I didn't get to. Last, I checked, Adamantium Bones said he was in Europe recruiting more young mutants. Said he wouldn't be back for at least a month or so."

Everyone turned to Johnny just as he stopped fiddling with his nail. A heavy sigh came out of him," No, sis, I didn't make out with Jean Grey," Susan must've shot him one of her famous glares because after that he looked like he was about ready to run for the hills," her boyfriend, that Scott guy, said she was still recovering from her amnesia. Said she wouldn't be active for another couple of weeks."

_That's right I almost forgot! _Thought Reed without changing his expression. A few weeks ago, the X-Men had just recovered their telepath and telekinetic, Jean Grey. Apparently, she had suffered from amnesia from an attack that had happened a year ago. Mean while, they had brought in a new telepath, Emma Frost, who had sacrificed herself to contain the Phoenix Force and had apparently given her all.

Suddenly, a dark blue material moved its way across Reed's line of vision. Shaking his head, he noticed that Susan's hand was the blue material he had seen. The others also looked at him strangely just as they did whenever he missed a conversation.

"Sorry, what were we talking about again?" he knew that he probably asked this question fifty percent of the time, but he didn't care.

Benn was the first one to answer," Well we were just discussing the other telepaths that we know," Johnny and Susan nodded in unison. Must've been a twin thing.

"But as far as we know," Johnny finished as if this were his big scene. It probably was, considering all he did when they weren't saving the world was cars and girls," there's only one other telepath that has the power to do the job."

Reed nodded, letting the information he had just received sink in. He nodded again and turned to Johnny," If that's the case then why don't you and Benn contact the Avengers. I'm sure they'd love to visit us now that Doom isn't on our tails." Turning to glance at Susan, he suddenly wished that they were the only ones in the room. Susan's eyes met his only once and probably conveyed the same feeling. At least, Reed hoped they did.

Before Johnny could respond Benn's tight hand gripped the young man's arm," Come on hot stuff, let's leave the two love birds alone for a bit," without waiting for a response, Benn's firm rocky hand dragged the young man out of the room. His face ventured from Susan to Reed but neither conveyed anything of use to him. Once the door finally closed on the two, Reed let out a small sigh of relief.

"Well Reed, what did you want to talk about?" Sue asked, moving her way closer to Reed. She stopped a breath away and Reed's heart was pounding. He glimpsed down at the coffee on the table that he had left and picked it up. Taking a sip, he saw Susan's expression relax.

Reed shook his head again," Nothing exactly. I just wanted to know if-"she didn't give him time to finish. Before Reed could even calculate the odds, she moved her way towards him. Her lips briefly brushed his cheek and then they were gone.

"If I wanted to go to dinner after we're done? Of course," she said with a sweet and sexy grin on her face. Just as Reed was, about to reach for her she backed away," Just as long as you pay," without another word, she was out the door before he could even begin to do the math.

Reed's expression was a mixture of confusion and delight. He hadn't expected, no, predicted for this to happen. On a spare piece of paper, he wrote down what had just happened between him and Sue and how to the situation had occurred.

Several doors down, Johnny had just contacted the Avengers with the help of Benn. The contact was on a giant holo screen, provided to them by H.E.R.B.I.E. A small hole in his stomach told Susan where the projection was coming from. The rest of the room itself was dimly lit, which made it hard to see which room they were using. Susan had just arrived when the boys turned to glance at her. Johnny was the first to speak as they moved aside to let her see Tony, whose shirt was buttoned loosely.

"Hey sis," Johnny greeted as Tony turned to talk to someone off screen," we were just chatting with Iron Man here about our whole situation."

"You know," Benn continued and Susan turned to look at him. Tony continued his conversation off screen, leaning his head back," that we've already contacted all the other telepaths we know. And, you know, this telepath is our last resort."

Just then, Tony's conversation ended and he turned his attention back to the three. Susan noticed that his shirt had been buttoned all the way up but a new person was on the screen. She was darker skinned than him and had long, flowing black hair. Her eyes were the same shade as her long sleeve shirt, aquamarine. Her lips were full and very pink looking. For some reason, she seemed familiar to Sue but she couldn't place the other woman's name.

"So Lucy, what do you say?" asked Johnny and then it finally hit her. The Lady! A powerful telepath and telekinetic who happened to be very good friends with Tony. Not to mention an ex-S.H.I.E.L.D agent and mutant.

Tony turned to Lucy, his eyes scanning her for something. For what Susan wasn't sure but she listened anyway with deep intent. Lucy's response was clear and concise, as if she had planned this out at some point.

"I'll do it," she conceded and Tony's gaze returned back to them. The boys smiled and Susan nodded, her warm and welcoming demeanor most likely already reaching them.

"You guys might want to hurry then," said Benn and the two turned to him," cause Reed'll most likely lock himself in his lab again if you don't," a smile played across his face. The other two nodded along with Tony.

"Right. We'll make sure to be there as soon as we can," he responded and Lucy pushed back waves of ebony hair behind her ear.

"As long as we bring Janet along too. You know how badly she's been bugging you to see Susan again," a warm nod was directed at Sue, who returned it.

"So it's settled. We'll be there in half an hour," Tony said.

"Wait, three of you? We only need the telepath," intercepted Benn who had now crossed his arms.

Just as Susan opened, her mouth to speak the door behind them opened. In entered Reed, who had taken off his lab coat and was wearing his costume," That's quite all right Benn. We're going to need the others anyway. We'll see you when you get here, Tony," with those final words, the holo projection shut off and the lights of the room were restored.

H.E.R.B.I.E's stomach returned to normal and he flew towards Reed. Chatting with the robot, Reed was occupied. Susan turned to the boys, who were now indulging in a game of Poker on the couch. Now was Susan's chance. Now was the time to make her move.

Deep down, there was a voice in her head. A voice that told her, _Not yet. Wait for the right time, then report._

She nodded and just as she did so, Reed turned his attention to her," Sue are you alright?" he asked and she looked up just in time to see everyone turn to her.

Shaking her head, she nodded. Putting a hand to her head, she answered," Yes, I'm fine. I think I'll go clean up a bit."

Without another word, she left the room. Silence ensued and for a moment, a pin could be heard dropping. Finally, Johnny broke the peace by laying down his hand. Soon after Benn punched him in the face and Reed took it upon himself to break up the fight.

Many blocks away from the Baxter Building were the Avengers mansion. Shining in the April sun with dew still on the grass, the three said Avengers made their way to the Baxter Building. Followed by Hawkeye and Panther, they made their way to the Quinjet in full costume.

"So what exactly is your business at the Baxter Building again? It sounds to me like-"However, Clint didn't get to finish his sentence before he was corrected by Panther.

"I believe Iron Man has already told us what his business at the Baxter Building is," Clint turned to him just as Jan and Lucy were boarding the jet. Standing the doorway with his hand halfway inside, he stopped," I believe Iron Man has no business at the Baxter Building. Unless of course it is to support the Lady. Who is somehow needed by the Fantastic Four."

Clint's gaze turned from Panther to Iron Man then back again. His eyebrows shot up and Iron Man sighed," Yeah, something like that. Anyway, I'm putting Panther in charge while I'm gone. No funny business. Got it?"

Just as Clint opened his mouth to respond Panther beat him to the punch," We will try our hardest. Good luck and may it guide you."

Iron Man nodded and the door to the Quinjet closed. Taking the front seat, Iron Man sat next to Jan. Pressing random buttons that he didn't remember designing, he turned to Lucy. Normally, she would've been excited at the possibility of someone needing help. Especially telepathic help. Right now, she just seemed like a lump on a log. Her facial expression was a mystery and her mind seemed elsewhere as she glanced out the window with one arm firmly on the back of a seat. Jan must've sensed this as well because she turned the jet on autopilot just as the ceiling opened up.

Turning around, both stared a hole into the telepath until she finally looked at them. At first, she almost looked puzzled but when she saw their expressions she sighed," I know what you're thinking and I didn't have to read your minds to know that."

Answering the question in the air, Jan spoke next. The Quinjet ascended into the air until it hit sky. Each were knocked against the wall and fell harshly against it. Lucy was the first to recover," Then why are you so upset? And don't try lying to us because you know that doesn't work."

Another heavy sigh, almost like a weight had dropped down from the sky, rolled over Lucy. Her expression had changed from upset to beyond. As if she were staring at something that wasn't present," I don't know. I guess I just feel a lot of pressure about what they want me to do even though I don't know what it is yet. I know they contacted all of the telepaths they know but why me? What can I do that other telepaths or S.H.I.E.L.D can't?"

The two shared a look and for a moment, silence ensued. It hung around the Quinjet like a shadow as they passed through the clouds with ease. For a while, nobody said anything. Once they had discovered the Baxter Building, Iron Man spoke. He had removed his mask and slowly made his way towards her. Putting a hand on her shoulder, his response was true and plain.

"I don't know," she looked up at him almost skeptical," but what I do know is that whatever Reed wants you for, it must be pretty important." A smile formed on his face and Lucy nodded, feeling more proud of what she was about ready to do.

Janet nodded and the Quinjet vibrated as it prepared to land. The inside was like a cotton candy maker, spinning the three around in a circular motion. Thankfully, Jan was in her seat buckled up but the other two were shaking. As soon as the Quinjet landed the two standing were pulled down onto the floor by gravity. Lucy on top of Iron Man, which was more preferable to her than the other way around.

"Are you two alright?" Asked a gruff voice as the Quinjet hanger opened and in stepped Benn Grimm. Suddenly, a heavy and rocky hand gripped the two. Carefully and slowly, it picked them up off the ground.

As soon as Benn set them back on the ground, Iron Man exited the Quinjet as fast as he could. Lucy rolled her eyes and followed him, making sure to float quickly. As her feet brushed the surface of the hard ground, Johnny Storm held out his hand. Reminiscing her days as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent, she took it. Letting go, she rolled her eyes again and waited as the boys tried to figure out how to park the Quinjet.

Jan eventually caught up with her and Johnny," So, where's Susan?" she asked with a hand on her hip. Even though the last time they had seen the four was a month ago, Jan still hadn't forgotten how annoying he could be.

Johnny scoffed and began to exit the room with the girls on his heels. Despite not knowing where they were going, they hoped that Johnny would lead them to where they needed to be," She's in Reed's lab. Or was the last time I checked."

The two girls shared a look as they entered what looked like the kitchen. With its white and yellow tiled walls and floor. A very large refrigerator stood in the far left hand corner beleaguered by cabinets all the way around. To the right of the three stood what looked like a dishwasher.

The girls stopped in the doorway while Johnny went ahead to the fridge. In the middle of the room was a metal counter with four stools.

Instantly, Lucy remembered the place. She had been here so many times she had almost forgotten. Almost. Feeling a sense of urgency, Lucy spoke for the first time since arriving," So Johnny do you know where Reed's lab is? Since, you know, I'm going to be working with him?"

Johnny's whole body froze where he was standing. His thoughts about anything other than her question were only half stopped. Turning to face her, he answered with a sly grin on his face. However, just as he was about to open his mouth Jan sent a glare in his direction. The grin slowly disappeared and he sighed," Follow me." allowing the fridge door to close he pushed past the girls.

Lucy turned to Jan who just shrugged. Not a word was spoken the entire walk and Lucy was relieved when they finally reached the lab. Her eyes took in everything that was in sight. Papers scattered on every surface. Several desks lay around the room, all covered with either papers or test tubes. All were composed of some kind of metal. In the farthest corner of the lab was a stasis tube, which contained Princess Ravonna.

Her body was as it had been when Jan had first found her, still as a statue. Her eyes were closed and she was still breathing. You could tell because of the small rise and fall of her chest.

Suddenly, Lucy's costume felt tighter than it normally did. Even though she had worn it since she was a young teenager, something about it felt uncomfortably tight. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart pounded faster than normal.

Jan left Lucy's side and she knew why. Susan was standing behind Reed, Tony and the other boys. She had several drinks behind her along with a meal from what looked like Arby's. Lucy shook her head and concentrated solely on Reed.

"Welcome Lucy," Greeted Reed as she took a seat on the work desk nearest to Ravonna's stasis tube. He didn't seem to mind, or at least not that Lucy could read," we apologize for calling on such short notice but this truly is an emergency."

Tony's eyes wandered to hers, which didn't hold his for long. Clearing her throat as everyone turned their heads towards her she spoke," Well I'm here now. What is it exactly you want me to do? You know I can't cure Johnny of," she glanced at Johnny who shrugged then back at Reed," whatever problem Johnny has."

A hearty chuckle came out of Benn and Reed cleared his throat, trying to be heard over him," Yes well, that's not exactly what we called you here for," Reed's gaze turned to Benn and he immediately stopped laughing. Reed continue," Well, I called you here for. I need your telepathic abilities to help me with something," Lucy had a feeling that something was Princes Ravonna," did any of the others tell you about what happened with Princess Ravonna?"

She nodded and relaxed her muscles against the desk. She had a feeling this was going to be a while, knowing Reed and how long he took to say things sometimes. However, this surprised her deeply.

"Good then you're one step ahead," he said and began typing on the bottom of Ravonna's stasis tube. Just then, a yellow holo chart appeared at the bottom. It showed a red line, probably Ravonna's breathing monitor," As you already know, Princess Ravonna has been in the care of Hank and I," raising her eyebrows at Hank, Reed cleared his throat," well, mine anyway. So far, I haven't gotten any new progress as to reviving her. I've tried everything I can think of and you're my last hope."

_Great, now I'm really going to fail, _Thought Lucy as she nodded and continued to listen. She had the confidence that she wasn't going to fail, but a part of her didn't feel very confident.

"One of the possibilities that I have come up with," he continued as Tony everyone else in the room surrounded Sue and Jan. As if something more interesting were going on then what Reed was talking about, which it probably was," involves you going into her mind. Do you know anything about the dream cycle?" before Lucy could even open her mouth, he continued," the cycles last in hour and a half increments. Those increments are divided into the hours of sleep. There is one stage of sleeping that is very deep. In that stage, you dream, sort out any problems you might have and recuperate. What I have proposed is that Princess Ravonna is stuck deep into that stage of sleep. For what reason, I don't know," his body moved its way towards her. Almost like that of a snake," What I propose is that we take a telepath, you, to go into her mind and find out why."

He moved his body back, almost as if he were registering her reaction. He probably was, considering he was the smartest man in the universe. Somehow, Lucy's eyes made their way to the floor then back up at Reed. She let out a long sigh, the heaviest yet," Questions," Reed clasped his hands together with a joyful expression on his face. This meant that he was ready to answer then, no matter how dumb they were," The first one is how long would I be in Ravonna's mind?" she waited for his response, then continued," Secondly, how would I find my way back to the physical world once I'm finished? Thirdly, what if I can't save her or find whatever you're looking for? Fourthly, what if she doesn't want me to save her?"

Reed turned his head to Tony, who had just now decided to poke his head away from whatever Susan and Janet were doing. He returned his gaze to Lucy," First answer," he said, ticking off the answers on his fingers. Lucy's eyes found his instantly," I don't really know how long you'll be in there. I suppose as long as it takes you to discover what has happened to Princess Ravonna. Secondly, I think you should use your friends as a beacon back to the physical world. Shouldn't be that hard should it?" Lucy shook her head and he continued to tick off his answers," Third question I believe Tony should answer," Both turned to Tony as he made his way towards the other two," did you even hear the question?"

He nodded, making his way towards his friend," We'll handle it together," he whispered, coming closer towards her," until then don't worry about a thing. Reed and I will monitor your progress on a holo screen. He'll plant a tracer in your costume and then you're off. Nothing else to it."

She nodded, feeling lightheaded enough to grab onto his armor. He reached for her and placed her back on the desk. When he finally backed away, he stood beside Reed and Benn. Reed continued ticking off answers on his fingers.

"The answer to your last question," Reed continued in a low voice so that the other three couldn't hear him," isn't an option. I can't imagine someone not wanting to be saved."

"And if even they don't, save' em anyway. That's what I'd do," Benn said as the two boys turned to face him," you know, if I was in your position."

"However we're not going to make you do this," Reed interjected with a pang of new sympathy added to his voice," we only called because we thought you could help. If you can't, it's understandable and we can always try something else."

The boys were silent for what felt like ages. Even after a couple seconds, Lucy could've heard a pin drop anywhere in the room. The only thing making even a peep was Ravonna's heart monitor. Finally, Lucy sighed and asked her final question. She knew she only had one more chance and was going to take it.

"Did you try contacting Cassandra Webb?" she asked, her voice almost cracking when she said the other woman's name.

Reed was the first to respond, even before Benn could open his mouth to speak," I did at least three times. She hasn't responded and I doubt she would."

Lucy nodded again and before she had time to say no she did the exact opposite," I'll do it."

All turned to Reed as Lucy looked away. The scientist cleared his throat and nodded, taking a small needle-like object from inside of his lab coat pocket. Lucy hated needles but for this one time, she could manage it.

_Me: So this is one of my absurd story ideas. To be honest, I didn't purposely mean to write a story like this since I know tons of my stories already have my Oc's in them. However, one day I got to thinking. What if I could save Ravonna with a telepath somehow? So I started thinking and thinking and eventually got an idea._

_I figured it would be kind of dumb to use any other telepath instead of mine. Plus, it puts her in the spotlight and makes her telepathic abilities shine. I promise the entire story won't be about her, but for now, Princess Ravonna needs help!_

_I would also like to apologize in advance, because sometimes I like to write new story ideas better than old ones. Which is why I haven't been writing Heirs of M or any of my other projects. I promise all those eager fans that I will try to have them published at some point, but not right now. I know this chapter was probably kind of lame, esp. with that cliffhanger but I promise the next chapter will be better!_

_Lucy: Legion22 would also like to say that she doesn't own anything; Marvel does, except the plot and her Oc's! So please ask before you use them!_


	2. Chapter 2

Mind Boggling

Chapter Two, Into the Fray

"There. That should allow us to keep track of you while you're inside her mind," said Reed with the needle-like object away from Lucy. Even though the tracker had been attached to her costume, she still didn't like the fact that needles were involved. However, she had swallowed that fear with adrenaline and the hope that she could help Princess Ravonna," Is it firmly on your costume?"

Just as Lucy began tugging on it, Tony answered," Reed that's as tight as it's going to go without her ripping it off entirely." Reed looked from Tony to Lucy then back again. Even though he knew the two had shared history, he had never really asked about it. Nodding, he turned his attention back to Lucy.

"Is there anything right now that would make it more comfortable for you? Anything at all?" asked Reed as Johnny exited through the door behind Lucy. To her, nothing except for Reed seemed like it was there. Her line of vision only focused on Reed, while everything else seemed blurry or imprecise.

Lucy nodded," Something proper to sit would be nice," Reed turned to Benn, who sighed and left the room. It took a while but when he eventually came back, it was with a chair from the lounge room. It was an armchair and the velvet made it only that much more desirable. He put it where Lucy's feet were now resting and she sat down," thank you."

"Is there anything else I can get you your highness? How about a soft drink? Oh, and some candy too?" He asked with an edge of sarcasm in his voice. Even though Lucy knew it what it was, she still answered anyway.

"No thank you but some piece and quiet would be appreciated." Relaxing as much as humanly possible, Lucy allowed herself to be one with the chair. To not only relax, but also concentrate solely on her mission. Princess Ravonna. For a second, both Lucy and Princess Ravonna's eyes flashed light blue. Then they were closed. As soon as that happened, Lucy's body began to relax. Her form leaned back against the armchair. Reed looked from Ravonna to Lucy and back again.

"Is she-"Reed asked but didn't get to finish before everyone else, with the exception of Tony, left the room. Tony put a hand on his shoulder.

"She's most likely already in Ravonna's mind," he whispered, trying to keep his voice low so that she could concentrate," we'll still need to stay here for when she comes back or reports back to us."

"What about her body?" Reed asked, snaking the upper half of his body towards Lucy's. Curiosity got the better of him and he started to poke it. Tony sighed.

"Her body will be fine as long as you don't move it," he shuddered, remembering a time in his childhood that he had tried to the exact same thing and had been punished for it," learned that the hard way."

Reed removed his upper half, almost as if a venomous snake had sprung up at him and spit into his face. He shuddered then began to type on the keyboard on the lower half of the stasis tube. As soon as he had terminated, a holo blank holo screen appeared.

Both men waited for any sign of Lucy or Princess Ravonna. The boys hoped that they didn't have to wait long.

Across the room from them, was Lucy's still form. Her body was as relaxed as any body could be. Her hands were sprawled across the arms of the chair, with legs dangling from the seat. Her hair showered her neck and arms, like a waterfall.

_Deep into her mind, or Princess Ravonna's mind, she floated. Her body was as it had been in her physical form, except a thousand times more powerful. She made a note to remember all the little details of it._

_Decorations were scattered everywhere in disarray. Streamers and balloons either clung to the walls or burned in neat little piles in a corner. Papers were stuck to the walls almost as if they had been glued, or even super glued there. Almost everything was in either pink or purple._

_Man, this girl sure loves to party,thought Lucy to herself as she floated forward a couple inches. Just then, she heard her tracer start beeping up a storm. Bringing it to eye level, she noticed that there was a button on it. Pressing it gave her an image of Reed and Tony, who were watching over her physical body and eating Arby's. It looked like a holo projection, with the exception that this didn't come with a board behind it._

"_Lucy, can you hear us?"Asked Reed and Lucy almost threw the tracker away. However, she knew that she hadn't suffered through a large deathly needle for nothing._

"_Yes I can hear you but you might want to turn the sound down on this thing,"she responded and immediately the sound turned from one hundred thousand to one hundred_**_," _**_Better. So do you guys see anything yet?"_

_Reed and Tony shook their heads. However, Tony was first to respond," Not yet. Just wing it and we'll update you how we see it. Good luck."_

_With that, the message ended and a map appeared. Now that Lucy actually looked around, the place was more beaten than she could have imagined. Her surroundings looked like the entrance to some kind of palace._

_The palace itself was rather tall and almost replicated that of Cinderella's at Disneyworld. Almost. It was as tall and some edges were sharper than others were. It had several towers but there was something off about the castle. The color of everything was a dark blood red, along with the sky._

_Lucy looked at the ground, which looked like that of the Negative Zone. Every little piece of gravel and stone floated in circles. Colossal, medium or practically microscopic were the sizes that the rocks came in. They all lead straight towards the castle. Now beginning to trust the ground slightly, Lucy landed on the largest piece of rock-like structure she could find. As soon as it brushed underneath her feet, she jumped to the next piece._

_Jumping from rock to rock, she didn't notice her feet touch the area of grass that was the castle lawn. Glancing up from the rocks, she saw the red dreaded castle. The lawn itself wasn't green like normal grass, but blackened and dead as if something had burned it up. Each time she took a step a crunching sound came from her feet._

_Just as she was about to enter the castle, two large guards stopped her. The guards themselves weren't even close to human looking. They had blue skin with purple and grey armor on. Each held a spear and wore some kind of patch over their eyes._

_Lucy's body shuddered and every form of relaxation was gone. Her muscles were tight as a spring and she held her head high. Her fists were clenched at her sides, waiting to collide with anyone that got in her way of her mission._

"_Please let me through," Lucy said with an air of confidence she knew that she probably didn't have. The guards both shared a concerned look," I'm here on the orders of Princess Ravonna."_

_That struck a chord because as soon as they said it, they each moved away from the door. Even before she stepped on the mat, it opened. Feeling as if she were in some horror show, Lucy stepped inside and allowed the door to slam behind her. She didn't flinch as her tracker recommenced its beeping. She pressed the button again and this time only Reed appeared on the screen._

"_Lucy, are you alright?" she nodded and Lucy could tell Reed was relieved. Even if he didn't show it," Good. I saw you got past the castle guards. From here on out, it looks like there's going to be more guards. Not to mention a couple traps and some odd-looking creatures. Think you can handle them?"_

_She nodded, feeling odd that he was the one asking her those questions. If she couldn't handle what was inside, then why would they have chosen her?" I'm sure I can handle anything that's thrown in my way here. The only thing I'm concerned about is the traps and monsters. Do you have specific knowledge about those are do I just have to face them head on?"_

"_Hold on," Reed began to type and Lucy sighed. She wouldn't have very long to do what she needed to do and she couldn't waste time talking to Reed," I'm sorry. I can't find anything. At least not yet. You'll just have to face it head on. But be careful. I did discover that there are at least four floors to this castle. Each one progressively gets harder as you go. We'll contact you if we find anything. By the way, the red dot on the map is you. Any blue dots you see are the other creatures in the castle. Good luck."_

_With Reed having the last word, the holo projection disappeared. Lucy let out a long breath and almost flinched as it started to rain. Thunder and lighting marred the sky. Water poured down in light sheets._

_The map reappeared on Lucy's tracker. She noticed the red dot revealed her location, just as Reed had told her. So far, she didn't see any blue dots. Glancing up from the map, she took note of her surroundings._

_Shudders closed off any light that dared enter. That didn't mean it could suffocate the lightning, or make it any less obvious. Everything in the room was red. The carpeting, the shudders, and even the door at the other end of the hall. There were other doors to her right, but Lucy didn't bother going in those rooms. Whatever was held in those rooms, she didn't care to find out._

_Taking a hesitant step forward, she couldn't help but think about Louis Armstrong's first words when he landed on the moon in 1969. She pushed her foot down to make sure everything was solid. It was. She continued her journey towards the door at the other end, her steps now echoing throughout the hall and towards anybody who would possibly want Princess Ravonna to die. But right now, she didn't care. All Lucy cared about was helping Princess Ravonna._

_However, unbeknownst to her, were shadows. Each was shaped differently but their intentions were clear. Their hands were curled and their fingers even more twisted. Their evil grins recognizable and greedy. A new one appeared as Lucy passed each of the doors. There were ten to twelve._

_As soon as she stepped into the room at the far end of the hall, the shadows all passed through the door. As soon as it was closed, the hall was vacant._

_In the room that Lucy had entered, it was dark. Nothing could be seen at any distance. Not even when she stuck her hand out. The only reason Lucy knew that there was even something beneath her was because she felt it. The only way she knew it was still, a room was the occasional lightning and thunderbolt._

_Just as Lucy made it to the center of the room, she saw the lights come on. Squinting as she tried to adjust to the new light, her eyes took hold of an arena. A boxing arena, to be precise. This reminded Lucy of all those times she trained with Steve in hand-to-hand combat. Shaking her head, she refocused her energy on her mission._

_The ring itself had no real ropes surrounding it as any other boxing ring would. It was just a plain old ring, except this one looked pretty beat up. All around the edges, it was either torn or tattered. There were seats placed all around it, as if it were any old boxing ring._

_Lucy shook her head. This reminded her of the time she had been invaded in her sleep by Zemo who had found a way to enter her mind. That had been a year and a half ago, while she had still been dating Steve. Thankfully, Steve had come to her rescue but she still had nightmares about it once in a great while._

_Just then, Lucy felt herself being forcefully propelled towards the ring. She didn't know by what or who, but she hoped to find out soon. Glancing down at herself, she noticed that her hands had been placed into blue boxing gloves. Probably, a way for them to try to disable her telepathy. However, even in someone else's mind she could use some of her skills._

_She still had on her regular costume, which was good. Suddenly, she felt her body stop as soon as she had reached the platform. Feeling insecure about her current position as the lights dimmed again, her eyes wandered to the other corner of the ring. The object she saw across from her probably shouldn't have surprised her, or even shocked her but for some reason it did._

_In the opposite corner of the ring stood a skeleton. However, this was no ordinary skeleton. Its face was guarded by that of a dark grey mask. The mask itself only had a hole large enough to show the skeleton's eyes, which glowed bright green. The armor was the same color as the mask and covered his entire body. His only weapon was a spiked mace, which made Lucy feel extremely nervous._

_At that moment, a voice rang through the empty room. It sound was electronical, monotone as if it didn't care if Lucy was torn in pieces. The one thing Lucy did know for sure was that it was feminine. The skeleton seemed to listen to the announcement just as intently as Lucy, lifting its skull towards the ceiling as if that were where it was coming from._

"_Attention arena fighters, you must follow these set of rules before you begin your brawl," Lucy rolled her eyes sarcastically, but listened anyway," Rule number one, please make sure you stay inside the ring at all times. If you do not follow this, you will automatically be disqualified. Rule number two, you are not allowed to call for help from others. If you are defeated in combat, you are finished permanently. Rule number three, you are allowed only five time outs for each battle. Each time out time consists of ten minutes. Make them count and good luck contesters!"_

_As soon as the electronic voice was finished, the skeleton ran for Lucy. Before she could even think about her movements, Lucy dodged the swing of his mace. She whipped around and swung her left foot at the skeleton. It moved through the air, connecting with his armor, and slid him back into the corner Lucy had previously occupied. Even though she had only moved him a couple inches, the skeleton almost looked angered._

_Once again, bringing his mace up, he ran towards Lucy and swung. Yet again, before she could even think she lowered her body. Before the skeleton had time to swing again, Lucy decided to try another kick. Her foot came in sideways and with a clang on the floor, the skeleton slid off the platform._

_As soon as that had happened, a door behind the platform opened. Lucy turned to stare. The door itself looked old and brown, as if it had rusted with age. She pulled off her boxing gloves, feeling her hand sweat. She flung them on the floor next to the now dissipating skeleton and raced through the door. Just as she did, the dark shadows that had followed her from the previous room followed her through the next door._

_As she entered the room, a feminine voice similar to that in the boxing room made its presence in this room. From where, Lucy could deduce. Her tracker._

_Warning: Traps ahead. Caution advised._

_She had just begun walking she felt something warm prick her ankle," Shit," she exclaimed quickly moving forward. Looking down at the ankle, she began to examine it. The wound didn't look too horrendous however, it wasn't pretty. To Lucy's eye, it looked like she had been burned by a laser. The burn itself wasn't extreme but it had left a round red mark._

_At that moment, a holo projection of Reed's face appeared in front of her. From the looks of it, he was still in his lab and probably the only one. However, she wasn't going to hedge bets now._

"_Lucy, how are you doing?" he asked, sounding more concerned about her progress than her safety. Nevertheless, she answered anyway._

"_So far, I'm doing alright. I did get burned by what looks like a laser but I should be able to finish the mission," she saw Reed nod._

"_That's good. I meant to warn you, but I still haven't discovered much in the way of traps yet. Sensors show that you're on level two, which is good. You should only have two more levels to go. Keep up the good work," and without another word, the screen disappeared as soon as it had appeared._

_Thanks for the moral support chief, thought Lucy as she continued to walk down the hallway. She stopped when she saw another laser shoot from the left wall to the right wall. Ducking her head, part of her was thankful that she had escaped that trial, glad to you know fuckin' care._

_Her walking never ceased or tired as she made her way down the hall. This level, she thought, looked more like a haunted house. Everything here seemed either a deep sunset purple or black. The carpeting was plush and even the drapes looked velvet. There were no doors on this level and the storm still raged angrily. Lucy could tell because she still saw a bright white light pierce the room. The rain beat down savagely now._

_A part of her tensed when she came upon another trap. She knew it was a trap because needles didn't naturally pop up from a floor. Floating in the air came easy to Lucy, especially in a circumstance like this. She continued to remain in the air until she saw no more needles._

_So far, everything was going smoothly. Except for the slight burn in Lucy's ankle when she walked, confidence welled in her. The only difference she saw in level two and level one was that the hallway in level two was longer. It twisted and turned in odd directions, but if Lucy wanted to save Princess Ravonna, she was going to have to follow it._

_Throughout the rest of the hallway, Lucy endured more traps than she could have possibly imagined. Some involved lasers; some involved poison tipped needles while others were simply a matter of escaping a giant sarcophagus that was about to crush her._

_When she had finally reached the end of the hallway, a creaking sound rung throughout the hall. Searching behind her for anything that might be considered sentient, she saw nothing. Shrugging, she went through the door that lay only a few steps ahead of her. As soon as she stepped through, the door remained open as the dark creatures raced through. As soon as they had all reached the room, the door closed behind them._

**Me: So here's the next chapter! Hope you all like it! I promised action and I delivered! I promise there will be more next chapter, and it will be even more grueling.**

**I know I left you guys with a cliffhanger, but I didn't feel like writing anymore. However, now that I have that out of the way I would like to thank the Sterling Raven for reviewing my story! It means a lot to me when people actually review my stuff! Remember, reviews equal love!**

**I will try to have the next chapter up as soon as I can!**

**Disclaimer-I own nothing except the plot and my Oc's! So please ask before you use them!**


	3. Chapter 3

Mind Boggling

Chapter Three, Deeper into the thicket

_Okay, definitely going to need new pants after this, thought Lucy as she looked around the dimly lit room. Thunder rolled in the background and the rain beat the castle as if had misbehaved. This room looked nothing like the room back on level one. The only thing that was similar was that it was dimly lit._

_For one thing, the room looked more like a library. At least, that's how it appeared. Bookshelves lined every wall and each shelf was filled to the max. The shelves themselves were made of what looked like oak. In the farthest corner of the room sat a purple velvet armchair. Next to, it sat a mahogany coffee table. The entire room was painted either a deep vermillion or purple. However, there was something about the room that made the hair on the back of Lucy's neck stand up. Even in the light, she could see that something was there._

_Nothing physical. A shadow. Even in the darkness of the room was filled with shadows. Obviously, they had followed her from the start. There was something about them that displayed it. From their twisted forms to their wicked movements. When courage found Lucy, she spoke over the beating of the rain._

"_You might as well show yourselves," she said with clarity to her voice that would've caught Steve off guard," I know you're there. I know you don't want me to help Princess Ravonna. Come out and fight."_

_At that last sentence, the room was fully lit and all the shadows made their presence known. So far, Lucy counted twelve. There could be more, but if there were, she would've seen or known of it now. She felt stupid for not knowing or even realizing that they had followed her here before now. Something, an instinct, told her to run. However, a larger voice in her head said that she should stay and fight. Even if it meant delaying Princess Ravonna's rescue._

"_So who's first?" she asked, with her fists clenched at her sides and her teeth grinding in her mouth. She was ready for a fight._

_At that moment, the scenery changed on her. Lucy wasn't surprised when it shifted to the boxing ring. This time though, she didn't receive gloves. For this, she was thankful. She didn't need gloves to fight shadow monsters. She could do that all on her own._

_She didn't need an imaginary force to pull her towards the ring. She went there on her own. Standing in her corner of the ring, she waited for one of the shadows to take its place as her opponent. Just then, the same monotone voice rang through the room. Lucy's eyes darted at the many shadows that occupied around the room. Each listened as intently to Lucy herself at the announcement._

"_Attention arena fighters, you must follow these set of rules before you begin your brawl. Rule number one, please make sure you stay inside the ring at all times. If you do not follow this, you will automatically be disqualified. Rule number two, you are not allowed to call for help from others. If you are defeated in combat, you are finished permanently. Rule number three, you are allowed only five time outs for each battle. Each time out time consists of ten minutes. Make them count and good luck contesters."_

_Just as the announcement ended, two shadows glided towards the opposite corner of the ring. Their faces were as warped and wicked as the rest. Lucy watched the shadows as they transformed from flat, demon-like creatures to giant skeletons. The skeletons were replicas of the last one Lucy had fought, except that they were bigger._

_Lucy swallowed the giant knot in her throat. She felt that she shouldn't have been too terribly intimidated since she had fought Abomination, but she was. She couldn't pinpoint why or for what reason but she swallowed that intimidation for Ravonna. She intended to tell the princess exactly what she had endured to save her. Shaking her head, she focused on her current task as both skeletons charged for her with their maces ready._

_Being smaller than they were, it was easier to lift herself into the air using her telekinesis. When the two had reached the corner she had previously occupied, she launched herself in the opposite direction. As soon as she landed, she saw the skeletons turn around. If they had been human, Lucy would say their expression would be confusion._

_One of them, the one on the right, charged forward. Stopping halfway, he swung his mace near Lucy. Every time the mace was within a couple of inches, Lucy ducked. Depending on where he swung it, she moved around the ring but not enough to become disqualified._

_All right, I've had enough of this, thought Lucy as the first skeleton continued to poke and prod at her. As he was about to swing at her again, Lucy decided that now was the time that she could use her telekinesis against them. Her eyes began to glow along with the mace. It stopped in mid swing and a light blue light glowed around it._

_Lucy's hand moved in perfect sync with the mace. As she moved her hand forward, the mace moved to strike the skeleton in the mask. If he were human, Lucy would've seen blood spill everywhere. However, because he was a skeleton the only reaction was that his mask flew off and his skull shattered._

_Dust and debris scattered itself on the floor as the skeleton fell to the ground. Since part of the dust had left the ring, what was left of him disappeared. The other skeleton, who had watched everything happen as dumbly as a puppy, now charged at her with anger in his bright green eyes._

_The other shadows watched with amusement, almost as if they enjoyed this. Lucy hoped that this battle didn't take much longer. When she finally jolted back to reality, it was with the feeling that her skin was begin scrapped off from her body. She stared for a second at the mace as it swept her calves._

_Deciding that she didn't want to become barbeque, she jumped on top of the skeleton. His armor was harder under her feet and she could feel the large wounds forming. As the skeleton's eyes found Lucy, she gave him no time to attack. Kicking him in the face only did so much so to try to help that she sent a minor mental blast. Normally, this blast didn't hurt her as much as the major ones did. It also did some damage to the enemy, if any at all._

_The skeleton moved to the very edge of the ring and Lucy nimbly jumped off its shoulders. Before it even had time to react, Lucy used her telekinesis to remove him from the ring. With all the strength she could muster, her hands guided the skeleton across the room. He slammed into the wall and dissolved into nothing._

_The door in front of Lucy opened and she raced through it as much as her calves would allow her. Even though they still ached, she was thankful she hadn't been injured further. The door stayed opened as the other ten shadows continued to follow the dedicated telepath._

Outside of Princess Ravonna's head in Reed's lab sat Reed, who had set aside his Arby's to watch Lucy. So far, he was the only person who had consistently stayed in the lab. Other than Tony, who was finishing off his Arby's across from where Lucy's physical body lay.

A holo screen at the bottom of Ravonna's stasis tube showed that Lucy had entered the third level. This meant that she was seventy-five percent of the way there. Reed made a mental note to ask her how she had accomplished such a feat when she exited. If she ever exited.

Jus then, the screen zoomed in on her face. She didn't show any signs of having fought two demons, which was good. Reed needed her alive, if at all possible. If anything, Lucy looked tired and frustrated.

"You're on level three now," Reed said as Tony quit eating to join Reed. It was touching really, that he cared so much about her," Tony and I have been able to scan this level and the next."

"And did you find anything?" she asked, her voice revealing her impatience. She sighed, shaking her head," Sorry. I didn't mean to sound impatient. It's just that there are things following me and I'm afraid for Ravonna's sake."

Reed nodded but this time it was Tony who spoke," Don't worry too much about the demons. They should be harmless unless you engage them in combat."

Lucy snorted, somehow finding this amusing. Maybe it was because she had already faced them in combat?" Good to know. What can I expect on this level?"

"There are some traps here but nothing like the ones you faced on level two," Reed answered with Tony still beside him. Although at this moment, it looked as if he were staring off into the distance. Zoning, as Johnny often called it when Reed was thinking about something during a conversation with one of his teammates," Here there are other creatures with weapons. They won't be like the ones you've fought in the past though."

"Ghouls, goblins, you know all that kind of medieval stuff," Tony finished as he threw a fry into his mouth. Reed shook his head and turned his focus back on Lucy.

"There will also be trap doors, more lasers, and optical illusions. Be careful and contact me after you've defeated the third level. I know you can make it, Lucy. Good luck and safe journey," with those words of encouragement, he ended the conversation.

Just then, Benn entered the room. Reed turned his head to face The Thing, who looked very impatient. His facial expression was something that Reed couldn't read. Reed's eyebrow rose while Tony went to eat some more fries.

"So how's our little telepath going? Making any progress yet?" he asked in that gruff voice of his. Johnny had often described him as the troll in the story Billy Goat's Gruff.

"Right now she's on level three," Now it was Benn's turn to raise his eyebrow. However, before Reed could respond Tony cut in with a voice as sharp as steel and had as titanium.

"She's doing the best she can! What more can you ask of her?" he shouted standing up from his chair with salt sprinkled over his face. Before Benn could answer Reed decided to intervene.

"Enough both of you!" turning to Benn, who was still standing in the doorway he said," He's right. She's doing the best she can against demons. Nobody could ask more of her."

Benn eyes turned to Reed then Tony and back again. His eyes wandered on Lucy's limp form and grunted," Huh. Well I guess she is," without another word, the giant orange rock left the room.

Reed sighed and Tony went back to eating French fries. He returned his attention back on the holo screen at the bottom of Princess Ravonna's stasis tube. So far, so good.

_Back in Princes Ravonna's mind, Lucy made her way down the winding hallway. She had already endured numerous traps, which had given her small scratches, and cuts that she had endured. The hallway on level three was the longest one yet. Lucy moved out of the way, as two lasers came out of the wall. They shot intertwined and would've hit her shoulder if she hadn't jumped ahead quickly. Her eyes made their way down to her calves, which were still a raw red color._

_She pressed the red button on her tracker and Reed's face appeared on the screen. He must've been watching her every move. How else would he have known what level she was on?" Hey Reed quick question. If I'm injured in Ravonna's mind, am I injured in the physical world? And if I die in this world do I die in the physical world?"_

_Reed seemed to ponder this a moment and turned to somebody off screen. Most likely Tony, considering she could hear him munching French fries in the background," I'm not sure. Tony, will you check her body for any injures?"_

_Tony must not have found anything because Reed's response said so," No to the first question. Tony said he didn't find any physical injures. I believe the injures are just inside the mind. However, if you die in there I believe you die in the physical world. No pressure." As if speaking her thoughts aloud in his last sentence, Reed shut off their communication before Lucy could respond._

_She sighed face palming. Part of her wanted to strangle Reed until he was nothing but a stretchy pulp. However, another larger part nagged her that she had to keep going. To keep trekking despite the pain she felt in her ankle and calves._

_As her foot stepped hesitantly forward, she saw a trap door appear on the ground in front of her. Immediately feeling herself drop mentally, she dashed forward. From then on, she continued to move with more speed and vigilance. Her eyes took in the green that composed this hallway. It was a bright green, as in grass green. This hallway had no windows and you could still hear the storm outside. It raged against the castle, as if the storm and castle were stuck in battle._

_The door was two steps away and Lucy stepped in. Before the door could close, the shadow demons followed her in. The room that Lucy entered was nothing like the previous two levels. For one thing, there was no boxing ring. Instead, the entire room looked like the training room back at the Avengers mansion. In the center of the room was a large red square, the same size of the boxing ring._

_Probably trying to trick me to thinking I'm back home so I'll give up, thought Lucy as she searched the room for the shadow demons. They weren't very difficult to spot, well fuck you because I won't give up!_

_Her fists were already at her sides as several of the shadow demons altered their bodies to replicate the ghouls Lucy had fought earlier in the hallway here. She counted each of the demons. There were four. Four ghouls, which meant there were six shadow demons left. Perfect._

_Her body was ready. Ready to take anything those demons had for her. She was almost there. All she needed was to defeat them and find Princess Ravonna on the next level. Her muscles were wound as tight as a spring. Her mind focused on the task in front of her. Every detail of the ghouls was etched so deeply into Lucy's mind that she couldn't forget their appearance even if she wanted to. She stepped into the red ring._

_Their skin was a slimy green, with a mucus-looking liquid coming off from it. Their armor was clearly leather along with their boots and helmet. Their teeth were a deep yellow with cracks. Some didn't have any teeth at all. Each had his or her own specific weapon whether it was a battle-axe, a spear, or some other exotic weapon Lucy couldn't name._

_Before the fight began, a monotone voice rang through the room. This time, it didn't look like the shadow demons listened. To Lucy, it looked as though all they cared about was fighting her._

"_Attention arena fighters, you must follow these set of rules before you begin your brawl. Rule number one, please make sure you stay inside the ring at all times. If you do not follow this, you will automatically be disqualified. Rule number two, you are not allowed to call for help from others. If you are defeated in combat, you are finished permanently. Rule number three, you are allowed only five time outs for each battle. Each time out time consists of ten minutes. Make them count and good luck contesters!"_

_The two front ones charged at her first. Feeling her feet shift before she could recall moving them, she stuck them out. Her legs looked as if she was doing the splits. Both tripped and were flung at the other two remaining ghouls. Lucy's eyes followed faster than her brain as one of them threw his battle-axe at her. It hit its mark, which was her right shoulder. A deep gash now occupied her shoulder, which was gushing with a dark red liquid. Feeling some of her strength zapped out of her, she ripped the axe out of her shoulder with slow precise movements._

_As the ghouls got up, she threw the axe at the nearest one, who was slowly inching his way towards her. The axe hit his groin and he fell, blood flowing forth from his wound like a waterfall. The others trampled over him as he disappeared into nothingness._

_The three remaining ghouls encircled her with ease. Each raised their weapons but before any could strike her telekinesis took over. Her eyes lit up as well as the weapons. Her hand flicked and the ghouls were flung against the wall of the training room._

_As soon as they touched the floor, they dissolved. As soon as the door to the next floor opened, Lucy sped through like a speeding bullet. The shadow demons followed and the door closed. The storm outside raged even harder against the castle. The storm had now become a mixture of rain and hail, which came down in heavy sheets. Thunder rolled on and lightning followed close behind. This next floor was going to be a killer. Literally._

**Me: So I know I left you guys with a cliffhanger but I also know there was more action in this. Hoped you liked it! I meant to tell you guys this in the last chapter, but the skeletons that I created aren't really mine. They belong to the game Ice wind dale, which I honestly haven't played in forever. Also, no pun intended!**

**I really tried to be creative this chapter with the hallways, so let me know if you guys want me to change something to mix something up this next chapter and I will.**

**I would also like you to tell me if you think Lucy's too powerful. I guess I feel that she is, but I'd like you all to tell me what you think. I honestly didn't think that I would get this chapter done so quickly, so have fun reading it! Remember, reviews equal love!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the plot and my own Oc's so please ask before you use them!**


	4. Chapter 4

Mind Boggling

Chapter Four, The last level

_The fourth floor was absolutely nothing like the first three. For example, in the first three they had actually been flat. While on the last floor, there were stairs. The stairs themselves weren't as much of a problem as the traps. It was the fact that Lucy was exhausted. Exhausted, aching and ready to just go home. But, she couldn't give up yet._

_Occasionally different creatures would appear at random times. Or, if she was lucky, multiple trap doors would open up and she could float ahead. Sadly, this time she wasn't facing the latter. She was facing the monsters, partly time and the shadow demons that had followed her since she had entered the castle. The shadow demons were far behind her, but she still ran anyway._

_Her heart pounding faster than usual and the loudest thunderstorm she had ever heard were the only things that didn't drive Lucy up a wall this very minute. At that moment, two more goblins decided to pop up from trap doors in the floor. Her body was already tense and her muscles ready to give out any moment. She felt a spin of lightheadedness come on but she pushed on. She pushed on, even though she knew that she would regret it later._

_Her eyes lit up and before the goblins could react, she shoved them against the dark red wall. She had probably shoved them harder than necessary, but right now, she didn't care. She was halfway down the hall and she was still ready to collapse on her bed back at Avengers mansion. Shaking her head, she finished off the goblins by throwing them out the window. She was thankful there had only been four. Sometimes, when the traps had appeared, there had been a dozen or more in which she would have to try to defeat._

_Glimpsing down at herself, she assessed her injuries to make sure that she could still defend Princess Ravonna. So far, she had a dark crimson red mark on her right ankle, large pink spots on her calves, along with several cuts and bruises around her entire body. She shuddered, making her way forward. She would live, but she would have to train harder. Not just mentally, but physically as well. She made a mental note to train with Steve more often._

_The steps she climbed seem daunting, what with the shadow demons catching up with her. She could tell and not because her adrenaline rush was coming back. But, because she could hear them. Their creaking and moaning as they hurried up the flight of steps. Lightning roared down on them as Lucy's swift feet continued their ascent._

_The hallway's red color scheme went by her in a blur. The dark crimson of it almost reminded her of her own blood. Shaking her head, she decided to take a rest. Leaning against the wall, she sighed and let her head stop throbbing. It had been for a while, but either the adrenaline rush or her sense of mind over matter must've blocked it out. Now that she noticed it, her knees were cramped and her feet practically numb. Her hands were as tight as the rest of her body and just as raw if not more._

_As soon as she felt that, her head had stopped throbbing and aching, her eyes darted down the stairs. So far, it didn't look like the shadow demons had caught up with her. However, she was mistaken when the creaking and moaning grew louder than it had before. Her eyes moved forward, not wanting to think about the shadow demons. The door wasn't that far away. It was only a couple of steps. She could make it. She hoped she could make it. Not for her sake, but for Princess Ravonna's._

_However, just as she was about to start walking again two things happened. One, the shadow demons came closer to her, practically rounding the corner. This made Lucy anxious and she decided to move closer towards the door. As soon as she had reached it, it creaked open and allowed her inside. It closed behind her without allowing the shadow demons to enter. Unfortunately, the demons were all waiting outside now, ready to knock the door down if need be._

_What Lucy saw in the room didn't surprise her. In fact, it looked like a regular old princess's room that you would see in a Disney movie. To Lucy's left stood a canopy-type bed, which was mahogany with purple and pink sheets and drapery. A window sat next to it, displaying the storm that was outside. To her right were shelves filled with books and directly in front of her was what looked like a computer screen. Sitting at that computer screen was a woman._

_She looked no more than late teens or early twenties. Her black hair ran down her back and went down halfway. Her outfit was blue and a blue crown was placed on her head. As she turned around, Lucy watched the princess's eyes as she size her up. When she spoke, it was with an air of command._

"_I've been expecting you," she said nonchalantly, making her way towards Lucy. The telepath shuddered, but tried not to let it show," I've watched your progress since you first entered this castle. You're impressive. How did you come into my mind? And where is my love, Kang?"_

_Biting her upper lip to keep back a smart-ass retort, Lucy tried to think of an answer to her. She was good, and intelligent Lucy decided," One question at a time, your highness. First question, I'm a telepath. Do you know what those are?" she asked, following the princess as she moved to the window next to her bed._

"_Nathaniel told me about them," she answered with a voice barely above a whisper," a long time ago. I remember everything. What is your answer to my next question?" she turned to face Lucy, this time her eyes calculating._

_Lucy shook her head, feeling embarrassed that she had almost zoned out. Almost," Your love, Kang, isn't here. He's in prison, your highness. He tried to attack-"but Princess Ravonna held up her hand and cut her off before she could finish._

_Lucy waited and Ravonna spoke," I know what he did. Sometimes, I wish he hadn't," just then, the creaking and moaning of the shadow demons became present to Princess Ravonna._

"_Your highness we should go. Those shadow demons won't be held behind that door for long," Lucy eyes glanced at the window and then back at Princess Ravonna," How far down is that window to the ground? Do you know?"_

_Princess Ravonna turned to face Lucy, who felt deeply intimidated by her stare," That window is at least twenty feet down. Why do you ask?"_

_Damn, thought Lucy and answered Princess Ravonna," No reason. But we're going to have to take the stairs even if it means running to the shadow demons. How are you at running Princess?" she asked, pushing her way past Ravonna towards the door._

"_I should be fine," Princess Ravonna said as she stood beside Lucy," Why?"_

"_Because you might want to start now," Lucy said as she opened the door and the shadow demons fled towards them. Grabbing Ravonna's hand before she could protest, Lucy practically dragged Princess Ravonna down the stairs._

_Seeing this, the demons followed swiftly behind them. Somehow feeling that Ravonna would be safer, Lucy decided to try to use her telekinesis but when she did Ravonna protested. It almost made Lucy want to start acting like some kind of dog, but she didn't._

"_Don't you dare try using that on me. I'm fine as it is. And besides, we're almost onto the challenge room," Lucy nodded and continued holding Princess Ravonna's hand._

_Despite her fear, Lucy wasn't about ready to let go of Ravonna. She figured that if they didn't stick together they would become separated and then they would never get Ravonna back. Physically anyway. Mentally, she seemed like a princess._

_As soon as they entered the first challenge room, Lucy locked the door. There wasn't much in the Avengers training room, so she decided to just pile everything she could find useful in front of the door. Ravonna stared at it as if it were some kind of disaster. The demons' howls could be heard from the other side, which still made Lucy's heart thump in her chest. She decided that now would be a good time to call Reed. However, before she could do so, Reed contacted her first._

_A giant holo projection appeared in front of Lucy. Reed was there along with Tony, Benn, and Johnny. The others must've come back when Reed had told them it was growing more exciting. Figures but she didn't have time to complain to herself about what the others did._

"_Lucy, where are you? Sensors show that you're in the challenge room on level four. Is that correct?" he asked as Princess Ravonna walked up beside her. Lucy barely noticed._

"_Yes and I have Princess Ravonna," she said, allowing Reed and the others to see that the princess was all right. However, after a few seconds she spoke again," We have the shadow demons following us. Do you know how to get rid of them?"_

_Reed thought about this for a moment. The sound of the demons grew louder along with the storm, which had grown more harsh since Lucy's ascent of the levels," Not really, no. Is there anything else you need?"_

_Feeling frustration rise deep within her, she shook her head to try and focus herself," Not really. I'll try to come back with the princess alive. If that doesn't happen, try to shake my physical body and don't let Johnny do it. If I don't make it, Princess Ravonna should be able to."_

"_I don't think we'll get to that point-"Lucy interrupted him before he could finish. She didn't want him. She didn't want this. She didn't want this to become a "what if" game but that's what it had resorted to._

"_Lady Blue Hood out," she said and all communications ended. Turning to Princess Ravonna she nodded at the door," How are you feeling your highness? Do your feet hurt?"_

"_Probably not as much as yours but I'll manage," she responded and Lucy nodded as the monsters grew more evident._

"_Good then get ready to run," Commanded Lucy as she opened the door," Princess's first, your highness."_

_With that gesture of kindness, Ravonna stepped forward. Her steps were quicker than probably normal for that of a regular princess but Lucy didn't keep track. As soon as Ravonna had gone through, she raced to catch up. Just as she did, the shadow demons blasted through the door and followed the girls._

_As soon as the demons came within earshot, Lucy grabbed Ravonna's hand again and ran at top speed. To Lucy's utter surprise, Ravonna didn't seem too hurt or upset by this. However, Lucy ignored her expression and ran down the hall as fast as she could. Ravonna, too, seemed to run fast. Even though Lucy hadn't been around her long, she could sense the princess growing tired. Tired and probably out of breath. Lucy would have to do better at locking the door this time so Ravonna could get a proper rest._

_Part of her, a small part, wished that she were already out. That she had already rescued Ravonna and that this was some kind of nightmare. Nightmare, or just simulation. However, feeling almost her entire body ache, she knew that it wasn't a dream. Knew, and pained that it wasn't. Part of her was thankful that the traps didn't work after she had already deactivated them but another larger part of her wasn't. That was the part that wished that the traps would start taking care of the shadow demons._

_As soon as she thought this, they did. She could tell because behind her she heard poison tipped needles flew out of the wall and hit two of the demons. She opened the door of the second challenge room and shoved Ravonna through. Closing the door behind her, she entered in as well. A part of her was also thankful that the demons had trouble going through a door. Part of her also thought that it was stupid._

"_Rest princess," Lucy breathed as Ravonna sat down on the boxing ring. Her breathing was ragged but she would live," you'll need your strength." As she said this, Lucy blocked the door with a set mental blast. Which meant that if the demons touched it, they would immediately feel their heads explode for about five minutes. It probably wouldn't do much for a demon, but it would be enough to distract them so that Ravonna and Lucy could go on._

"_You need your rest as well," Ravonna spoke and no matter how she did it, it sounded like she was commanding someone. Lucy made a mental note of this," I saw what you went through to try and save me. If you're as powerful as I know you are, you need your rest."_

_One of two things happened at that moment. The first, was that Lucy blushed. Not those regular kinds of blushes that are light colored and come when you're talking about your middle school crush. But, the kind that comes when you're talking about something embarrassing and you don't want anybody to know about that embarrassing thing or memory. No one had really told Lucy that she was powerful except Tony, her own mother, and her mentor Professor Charles Xavier._

_The second thing that happened was that Lucy answered Ravonna, keeping in mind that she was a princess," You need it more than I do. I'm the one saving you remember?" as Lucy said this, she opened the door that lead out of the challenge room and into level two._

_Ravonna sighed and got up from the boxing ring," Let us continue our journey, walking. I believe that would suit your feet better."_

_Lucy nodded as Ravonna stepped through the door. Lucy followed and closed it tightly behind her," As long as we walk quickly. I don't want those demons as closely on our tail as they were back at the stairs."_

"_Fair enough," said Ravonna as they began their walk on level two. So far, so good. Now all they had to do was get out of here alive. The girls walked in silence, allowing only the sound of the demons and the rain between them._

_What felt like several hours passed before Lucy glanced behind her and felt confident that they weren't being followed. Not only that, but no more traps had gone off since the demons had followed them. Lucy would've given out a sigh of relief, if she hadn't known what would come next. Which she did._

_At that moment in time, the noise of the demons decided to recommence. Not knowing what the sound was, Ravonna decided to ask just as they were entering the third challenge room._

"_What was that?" she asked with a quiver of fear in her voice. She didn't know why, but Lucy picked up on this like a dog on a trail. She made a mental note of it._

"_The shadow demons," Lucy responded as Ravonna entered the room," and if we don't get the hell out of here we're going to be doomed," Ravonna gave her a look like that of a glare and corrected herself," your highness, we should hurry."_

_The door closed behind Lucy as the demons sounds grew closer. Lucy's whole body shuddered, as if she could feel them glide up and down her spine. The thought itself made her way to upchuck. However, she composed herself as Ravonna sat down on the boxing ring. The ring in this room looked different to Lucy. The seats had completely disappeared and instead the only thing left was the ring itself._

_Silence ensued between the two women as the storm outside and the noise of the monsters grew louder than before. For several moments, it felt to Lucy that they were the only noises. Finally, Lucy decided to try to make conversation with the princess before she met her end._

"_So how did you get stuck in this place anyway? It's a dump, if you don't mind me saying so your highness," spoke Lucy as her eyes took in the room. So far, there wasn't much and probably would never be. She just hoped that Princess Ravonna never had this problem again or else the whole world be in trouble._

_Lucy's eyes took in the form of Ravonna. Sweat dampened the princess's forehead and her chest heaved with exhaustion. Lucy was thankful that Ravonna could still run, let alone feel her feet. Finally, Ravonna answered in a voice quieter than Lucy thought a princess could speak._

"_I don't know why, but after Kang made the decision to teleport away from our home, things began disappearing. Members of his ship, pieces of machinery, and so on. As I asked why, I was just about to disappear when somebody saved me. I don't know who or what, all I know is that someone did. Why do you ask?" Well this told more of the frickin' story than what Lucy knew._

_Shaking her head, Lucy focused her attention back on Ravonna," No reason really. I was just wondering how you got into this situation." She saw Ravonna nod and now it was the princess's turn to ask a question._

"_You must be an experienced telepath to have traveled like this," Ravonna said and Lucy listened intently to what she was saying. It wasn't her air of authority or command, but it was a hunch that Lucy knew she was going to ask something. A question about how Ravonna had been stuck in this nightmare for so long, and why Hank and Reed hadn't been able to save her," I have a question for you."_

_Before she could ask it, Lucy spoke," Why did you get here?" she asked and Ravonna's eyes lit up in shock. Lucy laughed, not a forced one, but a light hearted one. One that you would normally use to joke around with friends," Don't worry, you're not the first to ask that either. My guess is that your mind was so shocked at what happened that it went into over drive and created this place to try and protect you from disappearing. Most likely, it will go away once you wake up but not permanently. If you want, when we ever get back, I can help you suppress your mind of this place."_

_During Lucy's explanation, Ravonna had gotten up and moved her way to the door that lead to level one. She leaned against it," And what if I don't want to forget this place?" Lucy sighed inwardly._

_Princesses, she thought as she stood up ready to fight those shadow demons, they're too damn stubborn and spoiled!_

_As if displaying her thoughts, Lucy's reply came simply," Princess, if your mind can't suppress this place, it will kill you mentally. I mean it. I've seen people who have suffered through something more traumatic and they don't get over it. And guess what? Their brain starts attack them and they go crazy or they die a quick, short death if they're lucky. Do you really want that to happen to you?" she asked an edge in her voice that she hadn't recognized she had._

_Turning to Ravonna, she sighed, reading the fear on her face," I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound that harsh."_

_Ravonna opened the door and this time, it was Lucy's turn to step through. The door slammed closed behind Ravonna," I understand your concern, Lady Blue Hood, and I respect it. You only want what's best for me and I will agree to it only under one condition."_

"_What's that?" Lucy asked as they made their way down the hall. Lucy could practically taste their freedom, which right now was strawberries. Her body could feel it, which felt like soft green grass that swayed under her feet in the cool April sun._

_Ravonna stopped as the howling grew louder and Lucy stopped as well. However, the type of noise the demons made wasn't the same as it had been before. Before, the howling had been evil and wicked and now the sound was that of pain and suffering. Lucy had almost forgotten that she had laid a trap of her own as Ravonna answered her question._

"_What happened to my Nathaniel?" she asked with a bit of indignity to her voice. Lucy would've almost rather died in her mind than answer the question. For the second time today, she swallowed a lump in her throat._

**Me: So that's the chapter! Hope there was enough action and drama in there for you all! I really tried to make it as interesting as possible with Ravonna. However, I don't really know much about her since I've only seen her in one episode.**

**I would like to re thank Sterling Raven for reviewing my fic, it means a lot to me when people give me feedback on my fics. Remember, reviews equal love!**

**Before I do the disclaimer, I have a confession to make. To be honest, I didn't think that I would update this fic so quickly. However, with my own excitement growing as I write and with the story itself it's really hard not to write it as fast as I can. I apologize if it looks sloppy or crappy. Please tell me if I'm going too fast.**

**I guess the reason I'm excited about doing this story is that they haven't done it in the show yet, so that makes me all fired up about this fic. Plus, I haven't seen many fics about Ravonna so tell me what you think!**

**I would also like to inform you that before I do any more new stories, I'm going to work on other fics for the Misgiving Writer's Challenge Forum, and two others. One of them is mine and the other is Jess Maximoff's, so look out for those!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot and my Oc's so please ask before you use them! Thankies for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Mind Boggling

Chapter Five, The escape plan

"_So, he openly attacked you and the other Avengers?" asked Ravonna as they stood a few inches from the door with Ravonna's hand directly on top of the knob. The two girls turned to face each other, as the noise of the demons grew louder. Even though they were still farther behind, Lucy's heart thudded deep within her chest. Her eyes kept darting down the hall, as if they could travel through the levels to get to the girls. Lucy snorted at the idea. If they couldn't get through regular doors, then how could they travel through levels?_

_As if reading her thoughts, the ceiling above them came crashing down. Her heart pounding even faster than before, Lucy put up a force field around herself and Princess Ravonna. She prepared herself as the shadow demons flew towards them. Lucy got into a fighting stance, her entire body ready for whatever the demons had to throw at her. Turning her head towards Ravonna, she barked an order._

"_Princess Ravonna, get out of here! It's not safe!" the noise of the demons grew louder. They encircled around Lucy and Ravonna's feet._

"_And leave you to defend yourself?" she asked as the demons began to dance in a tight circle around Lucy now. They would dance, and then draw back then draw tightly around Lucy again._

_A tight laugh escaped Lucy. The demons stopped directly in front of Lucy," I've been through worse. Get yourself out now, Princess!" Ravonna shook her head and Lucy groaned inwardly. For some reason, they seemed to disregard Ravonna. As if she weren't the one, they were trying to imprison._

_Her hands glowing, a light blue color she charged towards the nearest demon. As tight as they were, she was surprised that she could still keep them in first. The demon squealed as it dissipated and another one slunk forward. Soon the other one was gone and the other demons anger grew along with their impatience._

_As Lucy's attention was turned to Ravonna, the demons came together. Slowly at first, then more quickly as they all joined. The four demons that were left, the ones who seemed to have more power than the others, came together to form one giant demon. If it'd stood, it would've been three feet taller than Lucy was._

"_Princess Ravonna I told you to run! Now!" her voice becoming hoarse, Lucy wouldn't be surprised if she couldn't speak by the time Ravonna woke up. Hopefully, she would be back in her physical body if she would just listen to Lucy._

"_As I have already stated I am not leaving you!" her response would've driven Lucy up a wall if she weren't facing a giant demon shadow. Lucy's eyes glanced to the door then back at the demon. The demon's form was large. But, how was it at moving quickly? Lucy instantly had an idea and her eyes darted to the door behind Ravonna._

"_Then humor me," Lucy responded as she made her way to the door without taking her eyes off the demon. Her hand touched the cold metal for only a second and then she released it. Opening the door, again without taking her eyes off the demon, she whispered," and why don't we leave now? It seems we're not wanted."_

"_Agreed," answered Ravonna as she stepped through the door. The demon cried out in protest as Lucy followed Princess Ravonna out the door. As soon as her hands went to close it, the demon cried louder. This time it sounded as if he were in pain. He probably was, considering what Lucy was about to do._

_As the door finally closed, the demons cries grew the loudest. Lucy turned around just as it closed and grabbed Ravonna's hand. There was going to be a lot more running if they wanted to escape in time._

"_What was that? What did you do back there?" asked Ravonna as they walked through the dead blackened grass. Lucy noticed that the storm had come down several levels. For instance, earlier it had been hailing and raining. Now, it was just a light drizzle and there was no thunder or lightning. Somehow, a wind had picked up, which made the weather seem more brutal than it was._

_Remembering Ravonna's question, Lucy's eyes darted back to the castle. When she had originally entered, Lucy had seen two guards at the front door. Now there was none but it still made Lucy edgy. Shivering, Lucy concentrated on the path ahead of them._

"_Let's just say I gave the demon a little present," she said as they came upon the floating stones which had lead Lucy to the castle. Princess Ravonna jumped on the nearest one. She landed with ease and Lucy jumped on the one next to her. They continued on like this until an explosion occurred behind them," a set mental blast. When they try to get through that door, it activates. And they just activated it."_

_Ravonna nodded and Lucy's eyes couldn't help but look behind them as she jumped. Her eyes felt glued to the scene as the demon flew closer to them. Part of her wanted to stand there, to allow the demon to consume her. However, before the demon could get even close, Ravonna's hand grabbed hers. Her body felt itself pull towards where Ravonna was, however, that didn't limit her from fighting._

_Her right hand, the one that wasn't being dragged, lit up. Using as much of her concentration as she could, she shot at the demon. Even though set mental blasts hadn't worked before, Lucy was still going to try. As soon as they were near the place that Lucy had entered, she stopped. Ravonna stopped with her, standing behind the telepath for protection. She cowered in fright, waiting for the worst to happen. Lucy got back into a battle stance position as the demon tried to catch up with them._

_Lucy sent one last set mental blast. It flew across the battlefield with ease. As soon as it hit the demon, Lucy flinched. The demon itself crackled with what sounded like electricity. It exploded and Lucy grabbed Ravonna's hand. She didn't want to see what would happen to the demon. Even if he was destroyed or finished, off._

_Up ahead, Lucy could see a bright white light. Like the kind, ghosts see when they're about to crossover. Even though Lucy's feet were about to give out, she didn't care. She kept running tirelessly. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that the demon had split into four smaller shadow demons once again._

_They continued to edge closer and closer to the women. Soon enough, they reached them. However, just as they did something happened. Blue electricity crackled around them. The storm only made it worse. Even though it was small droplets, the droplets seemed to affect the set mental blasts. To Lucy, it looked like the droplets made the electricity worse. The electricity, to anyone who didn't know, was actually the mental blast working itself on the target. But, for some reason, the mental blast had taken the form of electricity._

_Lucy didn't have time to find out if the demons made it. She didn't have time because at that moment, Ravonna pulled her through the bright white light._

The next thing Lucy knew was that her eyes were opening before she allowed them to. With her long, flowing hair, surround her face. Feeling choked, she sat up and brushed some behind her ear. Her eyes took in the form of Princess Ravonna, who had been released from her stasis tube. Reed, Johnny and the others were also here beleaguering the women. Ravonna took her first steps. They were slow, but at least she hadn't been injured.

"Thank you," she whispered with her head facing Lucy as Reed stretched the upper half of his body toward his desk. He grabbed a piece of paper and began to write something down on it. Smiling as he edged his upper torso back towards the rest of his body all eyes were trained on Ravonna," truly you are a mental warrior to be reckoned with."

Lucy nodded, taking the compliment while glaring at Tony out of the corner of her eye. He had stopped eating French fries and wore an expression of "I told you so." His arms were crossed but Lucy didn't care," Thank you, princess," She said and turned to Reed," How are her vitals?"

Now it was everyone's turn to look at Reed. Feeling embarrassed at being in the spotlight, he began to type on the keyboard on the lower half of the stasis tube. A yellow holo screen appeared soon after.

Reed cleared his throat, as if he didn't already have everybody's attention. When he spoke, it wasn't sugar coded or harsh. His voice revealed excitement. About what, Lucy was willing to figure out. She had done her job. Now all she wanted to know was if Ravonna would be physically healthy," So far, I haven't seen any signs of injury. No concussions, bruises, scraps or anything like that," Lucy nodded," She should be free to go."

Before anyone else could say anything, Lucy spoke. Her voice probably sounded sharper than she had wanted but her point to Reed was a serious one. One that she had experienced so often when she was younger," Physically, she might be. However, I would like to do some telepathic work with her," Reed's eyebrows rose and Lucy probably would've strangled him if Susan hadn't been in the room," To help her mind fully recover from what she experienced, she'll need it."

Reed's head turned to Ravonna, who nodded her head in approval. Reed sighed, most likely not understanding the scientific value of this," Very well. When are you planning to help her with this? You know she'll need some recovery time."

Lucy's eyes darted to Ravonna then back at Reed," Whenever she's ready. I would prefer it be a couple weeks from now just so she has time to recover physically," turning to Ravonna she said," is that fair, your highness?"

Princess Ravonna nodded, looking down at her stasis tube. Her hands brushed the surface of the cool metal and her eyes immediately found Lucy," Yes, thank you. Now if you don't mind, I would like to get some rest."

"Of course," Reed said as Ravonna began her way out the door. Nobody went with her, nobody stopped her," There should be some spare rooms if you go to your right, princess. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask."

Throughout their conversation, Reed's head had made its way to the door as it followed Ravonna. She nodded, wondering how Reed could perform such a task. He moved his head away from Ravonna as she opened the door," I will do that." Without another word, she left the room. Her absence left the entire room silent. When someone finally spoke, it was Benn.

"Nice job, telepath," he said and Lucy turned to see a large grin on his face. Clapping her on the back, Lucy felt as if she was going to fall over," we always had faith in ya!"

All at once, the room began to clap for Lucy. Even Reed, who was staring directly at her instead of science, clapped for her. Taking in the spotlight, Lucy's face grew warm. Her cheeks the color of crimson. Her eyes turned all around the room ,as the claps grew louder. Once they had, she brushed another piece of hair behind her left ear.

When she spoke, it was with genuine tire. Now that she noticed it, her muscles had relaxed and felt as if they had been glued together with super glue. Her feet were stuck into the ground and felt like thousand pound weights. Her hands, now that she noticed them, were probably red and raw. Not to mention cut. Her hair was tussled but she didn't care. She had done her mission, and done it well.

"Thanks you guys," feeling a wave of exhaustion hit she yawned. Her eyes searched each person in the room. It felt good to be in her physical body again," I couldn't have done it without you. Though honestly, right now I'd like to go home and take a nap if you all don't mind," turning to Tony with those pleading eyes she waited. Clearing his throat, he spoke.

"Yeah we should probably get her home. She gets bitchy with little sleep. It was good seeing you again and the offer still stands, Susan," he said turning to Susan but before he could get a chance, Lucy took his hand and dragged him out of the room.

"Thanks again guys," called Jan from the doorway of Reed's lab," Don't forget to drop by the Avengers mansion!" And with that, the Avengers left.

Everyone turned to Reed, who was busy typing on the bottom of the stasis tube. Benn nudged him in the arm, hard enough to make Reed bruise, and Reed called out," You too."

Benn rolled his eyes and Johnny left the room after them. Benn sighed and turned to Reed," Why don't you come with me to check on the girl and you can go get dinner, huh Reed? Sound good?" he asked, dragging him and Susan out of the lab. The lights and doors closed behind them.

Reed stopped in the middle of the hallway and Benn stopped as well. Both turned to Reed," Actually, Susan and I are going to dinner tonight. You and Johnny can get your own dinner." Benn's eyebrow shot up as Reed grabbed Sue's arm.

His skepticism continued as the two walked through the same door that Johnny had just gone through. Scratching his head, he tried without success to process what had just happened. After a few moments, he gave up and sighed, talking to himself as he followed the hallway halfway down. Coming upon a door, he pushed it open and stepped through it. Muttering to himself, he left that hallway devoid of any human being.

**Me: So I know this was a shorter chapter than usual and I apologize about that. However, there's also something that I thought would be better expressed in the next chapter. I would also like to apologize for my timing!**

**I try to write as much as I can each weekend. However, during the week I have TONS of homework and sometimes-other stuff going on so I don't tend to write. I hope this will make up for it.**

**One more note. As I was writing this chapter, I created the set mental blasts. I don't really know why I created them spontaneously like that. For those of you who know Lucy, this is a new ability that I will be tinkering with and probably tweaking. Don't have anything else to say before the disclaimer other than reviews equal love!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my own Oc's and the plot, so please ask before you use them!**


	6. Chapter 6

Mind Boggling

Chapter Six, The After effect

That evening at the Avengers mansion, the team gathered around the table. Nobody who wore a mask wore them. Not now, anyway. Each stopped suddenly to face Lucy, who sat in the center of the table. As soon as she heard the last fork lay to rest, Lucy's eyes searched the table. They tried to look for any sign of escape from this confrontation. So far, she found nothing.

Sighing, she put down her fork as well. It was a while before anyone spoke. Silence hung in the air like maple syrup, draping over everything and everyone. The entire table was tense, as if they were expecting an attack to begin at any moment. In the hero business, you never could be sure when or where you were going to have your next fight. Even when you were on a team, it always came as shock whenever you were attacked unexpectedly. Finally, Clint spoke. His grin went from ear to ear and hid his amazement.

"So how'd you do it?" he asked and Lucy's eyebrows shot up. Rephrasing his question, he began again," How'd you save Ravonna?" The entire table held their breaths, waiting for her response. It was as if they were waiting for the final word on everything. Which, they probably were.

Lucy shrugged, trying to make it look like no big deal. Like whatever she had done to Ravonna, it had been no big deal. Picking her fork back up, she took another bite of salmon and swallowed. Taking a drink, the table seemed to watch her every move. Silence followed but soon after Lucy's response came. It wasn't fearful or tight, just nonchalant.

Before she answered, however, her eyes turned to Tony at the far end. Her eyes searched him, trying to see if he would help her out of the situation. His brown eyes met hers and after a few minutes, Lucy nodded. His contact meant that he would help her, but not about escaping this conversation. He would help her, just not now and not like this.

He put another large piece of salmon in his mouth and swallowed. His eyes turned away from Lucy, not wanting the other Avengers to know what had happened," Well, for the most part it was an obstacle course." Picking up her fork again, she watched everyone. So far, they didn't look too impressed. They wanted more, as usual.

T'Challa was the first to speak with a sly grin on his face," I do not think you are telling us all of the truth," he said, as some of the other boys joined in on his smile," perhaps more description would be in order? You were there for quite some time and it is only natural for us to be curious."

Some of the boys shared their opinion and Lucy rolled her eyes. Her eyes searched the table one last time, making sure to stare extra long amounts of instances at the girls. From Jan, it said that she would help but she didn't have the time or the patience. She also wanted to hear what other things Lucy had to say later. She nodded and turned to Carol.

For a moment, the blonde-haired Avengers just stared at her. It didn't take much for Lucy to read Danvers face. Even if Danvers had been wearing a mask, it wouldn't have taken long. From the looks of it, she too wanted to hear what Lucy had to say. Even if it did embarrass Lucy herself.

"There were traps," said Lucy and everyone leaned closer towards her. They had resumed their eating a while ago, but were still interested," Poison darts, lasers, and all kinds of other stuff. There were also challenge rooms, which got you to the next level. Personally, I think Princess Ravonna conjured them all from her imagination."

"Do you know why?" asked Tony with serious intrigue leaking from his every word. Now the Avengers leaned closer inward. Eventually, they continued dinner. Usually, he would be the one to ask the logical questions. Lucy would've rolled her eyes if she and Tony were the only people in the conversation. Which they weren't," I mean, do you know why her mind was set up how it was?"

Lucy nodded, taking a sip of water," I think whatever happened to her; it was her mind that put her in that situation. For some reason, her mind went so much into shock that it created this entire world in her head to protect her. I've seen this kind of thing before when I studied with Professor Charles Xavier."

For a moment, there was nothing. Stillness followed her response as if the entire table had been jabbed with a needle. As soon as Lucy's plate was cleared, she grabbed a large chunk of a chocolate brownie from the refrigerator. She quickly devoured it, leaving nothing on her hands. Not even the crumbs. Even Hulk was impressed with this behavior, which not only shocked him but everyone else in the room.

"If anyone needs me, I'm going for a swim," she said leaving the room without another word. All eyes were turned on Steve. The super soldier sighed, pushing his chair away from his seat and putting down his fork. A wave of concern washed over the team as Steve left.

"I'll go talk to her," he said and he too left the room. Nothing much was said after Steve left. Besides any new missions or leads on super villains, there wasn't much to talk about. Eventually, everyone went on to desert. It was faster than dwelling on what had just taken place.

Several rooms away from the kitchen was Steve. He had been following Lucy when the telepath finally stopped in the middle of the hallway. Turning to face him, Steve almost didn't notice the exhaustion on her face. Whatever Dr. Richards had asked Lucy to do, it had obviously strained her not only telepathically but physically as well.

"So are you going to tell me what's really wrong?" he asked putting his arm on her shoulders. They were only a breadth's width away from each other. Leaning closer towards her, he bent his face down more towards hers," Or do I have to pry it from you?"

He waited as Lucy bit her upper lip. Probably considering what to hedge or what not to hedge. Steve watched her face change. Finally, their eyes met his," I'm just going to go for a swim. I'm beginning to feel a little claustrophobic that's all. I'll be fine." She whispered, reaching up towards Steve and pecking him on the cheek.

For a moment, Steve was dazed. After a while, he shook his head and nodded," That's fine. Just as long as we can talk before you go to bed." She nodded and continued walking towards their room. It took Steve a while to get his head back in the game and make his way back towards the kitchen.

As Lucy continued towards her room, she began to think about Steve. Her mind wandered as she reached the door to her room, cracking it open a little bit. She thought back to when she had first met Steve in the Avengers mansion, back before she had even begun to date him. Her cheeks flushed in response to the memory.

_Feeling insecure, Lucy decided that it would be best to go to Tony for any of her questions. About the mansion, about the team, probably about anything. She didn't really feel comfortable talking to any of the other Avengers. At least, not yet. Wasp, Ant-Man/Giant-Man, Thor, and Hulk. Although Hulk had disappeared, she still considered him as part of the team._

_However, there still was someone else to consider .Captain America. Tony had said to allow him a few days so Lucy had decided not to bother him. She peered her way down the stairs to make sure the coast was clear. Quickly, she darted her way down the steps until she felt something hit against her head. Hard. Harder than almost vibranium._

_She felt a hand briefly touch hers and then grip onto it. The hand itself felt firm yet soft. It practically lifted her off the ground. As soon as she saw who it was, she practically fell back onto the ground. The person who had bumped into her was a man. He was very muscular with short blond hair and extremely attractive._

_Her immediate reaction was to apologize when she noticed that they were still holding hands. He allowed her to have her hand back and she slowly pulled it back towards herself. Blushing slightly, she cleared her throat. However, before she could say a word the blond man spoke._

"_My apologies miss," he said with a firm voice. This must've been Captain America. It had to be. Who else could it have been?" Tony mentioned there was another guest here."_

_Lucy nodded, feeling much better that she had bumped directly into Captain America. Especially considering the fact that she was receiving an apology from the said hero. Lucy swallowed," I know. Tony informed me about you too but he said that I shouldn't disturb you."_

_Steve nodded," So I see," glancing around the room he almost looked nervous to Lucy. As soon as he found that no one was present, he said," would you mind practicing with me, miss? Last I heard all the Avengers were either out on patrol or somewhere else."_

_As he began walking, Lucy decided to follow him. She had faster than usual, which was fine with her. She didn't mind walking faster than usual considering that she was walking with Captain America," So I see. By the way, my name is Lucy. You're Captain America, right?" she asked and could almost see him laugh out of the corner of her eyes," What? What's so funny?"_

_Steve shook his head as they continued walking. Lucy noticed his white t-shirt fit him tightly. Very tightly," It's alright, miss- I mean, Lucy. You're not the first to question my identity."_

"_I know," Lucy said as they reached the door of the training room. Steve turned to face her, his eyebrows raised," Tony, told me all about how he and the other Avengers found you. I was there when you were fighting Doughboy."_

_Steve's face changed from surprise to wonder. Somehow, he found a way to remember this. Something else flashed across his face. Something that Lucy couldn't pinpoint," How do you know the name of one of Arnim Zola's creatures?"_

_Finally, Lucy had him exactly where she wanted him. With a sly grin on her face, she answered," Well Captain America, I guess you're just going to have to find out." Slowly, a smile crept over Steve's face._

_His hand moved faster than Lucy could register and eventually the door was opened," Please Lucy, call me Steve."_

Lucy shook her head as the memory shook itself off. Her entire aching body remembered the first workout with Steve, even if it wasn't as brutal as the ones he gave Tony. Lucy quickly stripped out of her costume and into her bathing suit, which was an aquamarine bikini.

Slipping on her flip-flops and slinging a jacket over her shoulder, she left the room door closed. Normally, she would've waited until closer to June to go swimming. However, considering the weather lately Lucy decided it would be best. It had been ninety-four yesterday and today wasn't going to get any cooler. No time like the present.

As she walked to the pool, her only thoughts were about Steve. Not about somebody watching her. Not about that somebody being a Skrull. Especially if that somebody was a Skrull. The last thing she saw was something green and reptilian watching her get aboard the elevator. For second, she thought it was a Skrull but the object disappeared. Just then, the elevator door closed.

Lucy shrugged it off nonchalantly. The elevator silence was enough to make Lucy calm, but she wasn't about to stop halfway. Soon enough, the elevator door opened once again and Lucy stepped out. The warm sun beat down on her nice tanned skin and a slight wind whipped her hair around her.

Random white towels were placed on racks near the pool area itself. Tony had set them there a while ago but nobody so far had bothered to use them. She slipped off her flip-flops and set her jacket down on one of the lawn chairs next to the pool. The next thing Lucy knew was that she was diving head long into ice-cold water. It felt good against her skin, a nice refresher from being cooped up all day at the Baxter Building.

By the time her head bobbed up to the service, Jan had decided to join her with a glass of lemonade in her hand. She too wore a bikini, only hers was yellow. Lucy's head turned to Jan, hearing her feet pad on the service of the pool area. Jan smiled at her and Lucy smiled at Jan. Ignoring the pixie, Lucy bobbed back underwater. Jan jumped back as she did so, having splashed Jan in the process.

Two and a half hours or so passed and eventually Hulk and Hawkeye joined the girls. Hawkeye, of course, continually commented on the way Lucy swam. While Hulk, he decided to try to chase her around the pool. For fun, he had said one time after Lucy had been caught by his giant green hand, and thrown practically around the pool. Deciding that she had had enough swimming today, Lucy got out.

Before she had started swimming in the Avengers pool, Lucy's body had been muscular. From her arms down to her legs, every part of her body that she could show muscle had muscle. Every part of her body was now dripping with water as Danvers joined the group. Danvers wore no bathing suit, just a short sleeve shirt and shorts.

As Lucy grabbed a towel from the towel rack, she overheard the comments from Jan. Of course, nobody else besides Jan would make comments as Jan made comments. Even though Jan had seen her in a bathing suit before, she claimed that the telepath looked ripped. She quickly dried off as much as she could and shook her head. She picked up her jacket and slid her feet into her flip-flops. She slung the towel over her shoulder and zipped the jacket up. The temperature had gone down several degrees since she had first come out but not enough to make it too cool to swim.

As she made her way to the elevator, she continued to listen to Jan's comments. When she finally heard, Carol give her word about the subject, she shook her head. The elevator door finally opened and Lucy stepped in. As soon as it closed, cool air blasted her entire body. It felt like having tiny microscopic ice cubes hitting her body all at once but at the same time, it felt good.

The elevator door opened and she rushed back into the mansion as fast as she could. Her eyes wandered as she found the laundry room, and dumped her towel and jacket into it. Then she made her way towards the training room. One of the only places to receive a shower. However, it was the best place to receive a nice cold or a nice hot shower.

Another two hours or so passed and Lucy was in her room reading. It had been a long day and eventually Lucy had fallen asleep with the book on her lap and her light still on.

**Me: So I know this chapter was short, but I promise to get you another chapter! In addition, this one will have action in it! Don't really have much else to say other than the disclaimer.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own Oc's and the plot, so please ask before you use them!**


	7. Chapter 7

Mind Boggling

Chapter Seven, Not out of the forest yet

Lucy sighed as she entered the Baxter Building. It was nice to get out of the warm June sun, especially when it was ninety degrees. She felt better as she entered, her face blasted with cool air conditioning. As her foot touched the floor of the Lobby, Thing and Human Torch greeted her. Her grin was apparent, but not her anxiousness. She tried to allow herself to be calm and relaxed.

"Hey telepath, great job on da Princess." Thing said as they guided her to the elevator. They quickly stepped in, and closed the door.

Lucy nodded," Thanks." She sighed, placing her hands by her side. She clenched them into fists, still trying to relax herself. Thing must've noticed this, because he commented on it. Human Torch must've also noticed, because he cringed.

"Hey telepath," even though it was a nickname Thing had given her a long time ago, she still hadn't gotten used to it. Nobody else called her that, which made it special. She was thankful that the ride was going to be long," you ok? You look stressed."

Lucy hadn't realized that her eyes had found their way to the floor. They found their way up to Thing, who truly looked worried. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Johnny picking his nose. She dismissed it and sighed," I don't know. I guess I'm just really nervous about doing this sort of thing. The last time I did it was with Professor Xavier, and the people he had me work on were other mutant kids." She shuddered.

Thing grunted," Yeah, Susie told us all about that," for once, Thing was actually being genuinely nice. Even though he could be, he wasn't exactly the person that Lucy would go to with all her problems;" anyway, we know you'll do just fine."

"Yeah, just trust yourself," Johnny said, wrapping his arm around Lucy's shoulder. His smirk was worrying and Lucy slung his arm off her shoulder. Thing chuckled, knowing that Lucy could beat him physically. Johnny seemed to ignore this," that's what got you this far, babe."

Lucy rolled her eyes as the elevator door opened. She turned to Johnny," You do know that I can beat you physically, right?" she asked as they stepped off the elevator together. Following Thing, she didn't wait for his answer.

Her heels clacked on the floor, very nosily. She heard the sound of other footsteps that weren't Thing's. A smile came across her face as Susan joined them. Instantly, she felt better about the job that she was to carry out. Thing must've known she had joined them, because he smiled too.

"Hey Suzie Q," he said as they turned a corner. Lucy had forgotten that the building had so many twists and turns. Sometimes, Lucy thought this more of a labyrinth than a building," how's Reed?"

Susan shrugged," He seems to be doing alright. Although he's back in his lab again. I figure we'll give him some time," she smiled at Lucy," it's nice to know that you're willing to continue helping Princess Ravonna. We finally got a status check on Professor Xavier and Jean Grey."

"What did they have to say?" asked Thing and suddenly Lucy's body began to tingle. She couldn't explain it, but she figured Thing and Susan were up to something. What, she would soon find out. The best part was, she didn't have to try to manipulate them into telling her. They were already doing that on their own.

"Jean Grey seems to be recovering fine, and she would've done the job happily. However," Susan said as they stopped at a door. It was in the center of the hallway. This must've been Princes Ravonna's room," she's not allowed to enter people's minds for a while."

"What about da Professor? Did he have anything to stay?" he asked, leaning against the door with his arms crossed. A grin slowly spread across his face, and Lucy got a hint of what they were trying to do.

Susan appeared to be smiling as well. It was genuine," He said that he would highly recommend Lucy for this job. Not to mention he's still out of the country-recruiting mutants for another two weeks. He says he's trying to get more students, and that Lucy's probably one of the best mind travelers there is."

Lucy nodded, feeling the sentiment. She was good at hiding her feelings, but right now, she decided not to. She blinked back tears, which she hadn't shed in a long time," I know what you guys are trying to do and thanks."

Thing nodded and Susan hugged her. Susan gave her a few more encouragements and left. Lucy felt more laid back and composed now. She let out a sigh and was about to open the door when it was opened for her. It was Princes Ravonna, who had most likely over heard the entire conversation.

"You are late," Princess Ravonna smiled warmly," please come in." Lucy did so and took in the room. It most likely wasn't fit for a forty first century princess, but it would have to do for now. Lucy grabbed a stool from a nearby window, and dragged it towards the bed. She sat down as Ravonna closed the door.

"Ok," Lucy sighed and rubbed her hands together. Immediately her training from what felt like a lifetime ago flooded back to her. Her mind was clear and she allowed herself to calm down," how are you dreams, your highness?"

"Excuse me?" the princess asked as she sat down on her bed. She didn't seem very tense about this, and Lucy wondered why. However, she wasn't about to start asking questions. She just wanted to work with the princess mentally.

Lucy shook her head, pulling her hair back. It fell on her bare shoulders like a waterfall," I meant how are you sleeping? Or you have good dreams? Nightmares?" she asked as Ravonna went over to the wooden dresser. She pulled out something inside a drawer then came up behind Lucy," Um, what are you doing your highness?"

Princes Ravonna didn't answer as she grabbed her hair and began to run her hands through it," Actually, I have been having some nightmares lately. They were not as rough at first, but are slowly growing that way." Lucy nodded as the princess held all of Lucy's hair in one hand. She quickly spun it around in a circle, and put the ponytail in.

Lucy nodded, taking in what she had said. Processing it, she watched as Ravonna grabbed a large hand mirror. She handed it to Lucy, and the telepath got a good look at herself. She definitely liked the new look, especially now that her hair kept off her shoulders. She smiled at the princess.

"Thank you. It looks beautiful." She said as the princess sat back down on her bed, her hands folded neatly in her lap.

Ravonna shook her head," Truly, it was nothing. I only performed a simple service, whereas you have performed a great one. I cannot thank you enough, Lucy."

Lucy felt the kindness in her heart. Even though what Ravonna said was true, she still felt humbled. She blinked back tears again, and focused on the task. She let out a sigh and folded her hands together. As she gave Ravonna some instructions, outside the room Thing leaned his ear closer to the door. He normally didn't like girl talk, but this somehow seemed the exception to the rule.

He quickly moved out of the way before either of the girls could catch him in the act. He made his way to Reed's lab, even though he figured he would be ignored. Once he got there, he noticed the doors were opened. He walked right in, and noticed immediately that it was different.

Somehow, it was cleaner. The random tables around the room didn't have much paper on them. The paper that they did have was stalked in neat piles. The piles weren't very large. The status tube, had of course, been removed since Ravonna no longer occupied it. The air seemed fresh, as if it had been sprayed with perfume. Something was wrong. Thing didn't see Reed.

Thing was just about to turn and leave when he heard someone enter the room. He saw a stretchy blue mass, which was most likely Reed. The figure slowly moved farther and farther, eventually taking the shape of a human. Thing let out a sigh of relief.

"Hey Reed," Thing greeted," how's it going?" he asked as the said scientist grabbed a clipboard from a desk and began to write something down. He glanced up occasionally to see if Thing was still there. After a while, Reed answered.

"Actually, quite well. How about our situation with our telepath?" he asked as he finished writing and went to his office. Thing didn't bother to follow, because a few seconds later he came right back out. He seemed very busy, and Thing was tempted to leave.

"The telepath seems to be doing fine," Thing answered," she was kinda nervous though when she came. Suzie and I talked to her."

Reed nodded, picking up another clipboard and writing on it as well. It took him a while to respond. He seemed very distracted by this and Thing had to wait a while," Well that's good."

Thing nodded," Hey Reed, why don't you and I play pool?" he asked and Reed turned to look at him. His expression revealed shock, but Thing continued anyway," You know, for old times sake."

Reed nodded and contemplated this for a while. His eyes looked at the ground intently, as if there were something there. Thing's eyebrows shot up and he waited for Reed. After awhile, Thing was about to leave without Reed.

"Hey Thing, why don't you set up? I'll be there in a minute." He said and Thing nodded. He left the room and Reed turned to one of his computers. He pressed a button and a giant holographic screen appeared with the face of Nick Fury.

"Reed, how goes our project?" he asked, his expression monotone.

"Haven't quite figured out the kinks for it yet," said Reed," but I'm working on it. Almost finished."

Fury nodded," That's good. Keep me updated. Fury, out." Without another word, the screen disappeared and Reed made his way to the Lounge. As he entered, he saw Thing setting up. He stood and watch intently. Thing seemed to notice, and briefly glanced up at him. Reed leaned against the wall.

"By the way, you never mentioned your date with Suzie Q," Thing said as he handed Reed a cue stick. He placed the white ball away from the others," how did it go?" he asked.

Thing's eyes glimpsed up at Reed for a split second, and then they focused on the game. Reed focused his stick, and shot. The balls collided everywhere, and at least two solid colors landed in holes," Actually, we didn't talk much. I tried to engage her, but she seemed distant."

Thing's eyebrows shot up and he wolf whistled. Thing watched Reed shoot again, and hit two more solids into holes," That seems rather odd. Even for Suzie Q."

Reed nodded as he shot again, this time missing completely. He did it on purpose and knew that Thing knew it. It was their usual way of playing, and nobody bothered them about it. It was the way they had played in college, and probably would continue playing," It does indeed."

**Me: So I know this it the last chapter, but for me this is an accomplishment. I feel good when I finish stories, and this is no exception. I want to thank the Sterling Raven for reviewing past chapters, they really did make a difference!**

**The reason I gave Susan the nickname, is because I saw it in a comic. The reason I had Susan sort of ignore Reed on their date was because I was reminded that Susan was ignoring Reed, so I tried to fix that in this chapter. I hope I made up for it!**

**This won't be my last Marvel fic, but I won't be writing much in Marvel because I'm going to try to work on some unfinished Dc stories. Hopefully, I will finish them by the end of the summer!**

**Disclaimer-I own nothing except my own Oc's and this plot, so please ask before you use them!**


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